A conventional nano-SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) chip card module (the term nano-SIM is used herein for a chip card module having dimensions of 8.8 mm×12.3 mm standardized in accordance with ISO 7816 or a 4FF chip card module in accordance with ETSI specification TS 102 221 (with the same dimensions)) can typically be used for various applications, for example as a normal nano-SIM card, e.g. in a chip card module receptacle of a mobile phone.
Conventional chip cards for authentication of mobile apparatuses can have a nano-SIM chip card module that may be embedded in a card body. The chip card body may include a plastic material, for example PVC (polyvinyl chloride). In this case, the nano-SIM chip card module can be provided with what is known as active NFC functionality (Near Field Communication, which is used, by way of example, for transactions with a high security requirement, e.g. payments/credit transfers by means of a mobile phone).
The NFC functionality may also be incorporated in a piece of hardware of a mobile apparatus (e.g. of the mobile phone), for example as a permanently fitted chip card module, which may e.g. be soldered to a PCB, e.g. by means of a checkerboard-like arrangement of contact pads, which are also referred to as a “land grid array”. Not all mobile apparatuses have a permanently incorporated functionality of this kind, however.
Whereas a nano-SIM chip card module that is intended to be introduced into a standard chip card module receptacle needs to provide contacts at the points standardized in accordance with ISO 7816 or ETSI TS 102 221, such a restriction is not necessary for nano-SIM chip card modules that are intended to be permanently incorporated, e.g. soldered.
When using a conventional nano-SIM chip card module for permanent incorporation on or in a printed circuit board (e.g. by means of surface mounting, also referred to as SMT (surface mount technology)), the chip card module is larger than is actually necessary (for example up to over 30%), which means that space is wasted on the printed circuit board.
However, it would be a great extravagance to produce two different nano-SIM chip card modules, one suitable for being held in a chip card module receptacle and one (a smaller one, e.g. with a surface area approximately 30% smaller) for permanent mounting on a printed circuit board.
Put another way, chip card modules having different form factors are needed, depending on whether there is provision for use in the chip card module receptacle or permanent incorporation.
Chip card modules having contact pad arrangements that are suitable for a chip card (in accordance with the ISO standard) and/or for SMD mounting are known from EP 0902973 B1 and EP 0948815 B1. These have no NFC functionality, however.